Hope you and your pups all have a wonderful Christmas! Sandy went Christmas caroling last night with my grandparents and I. She also did some really good comes this morning! What are your services dog doing this Christmas?

Alright doggo friends… I need to see your dogs living their BEST goofy, off-duty (aka “free dog”) life. Post a pic of your service dog (or pet) being a total happy potato! 😂🐶

There’s a pretty common misconception floating around that service dogs are supposed to be these elite, fearless, never-flinch, never-blink machines. But… yeah. No. That’s not real life. 😂 Just like humans — even the most confident, badass humans you can think of — every dog has fears. Fear is instinctual. So the goal with service dogs is not to create a dog that never gets scared. The goal is to create a dog that knows what to do when something does scare them… and that comes from training + communication + trust. 🧠 So what actually matters for a service dog? Not “fearlessness.” But how they handle fear when it pops up. A well-trained service dog, when startled, should have this instinct: 👉 “Check in with my human. What do you want me to do?” THAT is the magic. THAT is the safety. THAT is why training matters so much. Because the opposite reaction — the instinctual bolt/run/flee moment — is dangerous for the dog, the handler, AND the public. And that’s exactly what we want to prevent. 💪 Training creates the communication that replaces instinct. Training opens up a line of communication: - The dog learns: “When I’m unsure, I check in.” - The handler learns: “When my dog is unsure, I guide them.” That’s the whole game. It doesn’t mean your dog won’t ever spook at something dropping behind them. Humans jump too! It just means they recover quickly and look to you instead of relying on instinct. 🎯 Your job as a handler Your job is to: - Notice when they’re unsure - Take a moment to work them through it - Help them build confidence - Prevent small startles from turning into big fears That’s how you create a dog who is: 🐶 well-desensitized 🐶 safe in public 🐶 thinking instead of reacting 🐶 checking in instead of bolting 🐶 trusting their human instead of their instincts 💛 Bottom line Service dogs aren’t fearless superheroes. They’re dogs — with instincts, emotions, and the occasional “shaky boots” moment. The real strength is this: When fear shows up, they use their brain instead of their instincts, and they trust their handler enough to ask, “What now?”